Full-circle leadership: Faith guides FIU alumna back to her high school alma mater

Getting hundreds of spirited teenagers to say their daily prayers, complete their coursework and find their purpose in life is a daunting task.

Good thing alumna Carmen Molina ’89 brings decades of experience to her new position as principal of the all-girls Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, a top-tier college preparatory high school that annually sends dozens of its graduates to FIU.

Guided by faith and molded by 37 years of service within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Molina is “elated to come home,” she says. “The Holy Spirit has absolutely brought this into my path, and I know it’s the right journey for me.”

As Molina tells it, Lourdes offers a winning combination of spiritual edification, academic rigor and supportive community. She explains how the school challenges its students intellectually, while providing them with the moral compass, strength of character and iron bonds of friendship necessary to withstand life’s trials with grace.

Molina herself is an embodiment of this holistic approach, and her closest confidants are still the women she befriended at Lourdes. Molina steps into this leadership role in July equipped with the skills and strategies that she acquired at FIU.

She arrived on campus during a pivotal moment in time. FIU had recently added lower-division courses – previously, the state had allowed the university permission to offer only upper-division courses – and Molina received the true freshman experience. Additionally, the 1983 release of A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform – a national report that warned of declining academic standards and a “rising tide of mediocrity” – prompted U.S. officials to adopt higher standards across the board, including teaching requirements and preparation.

Then a special education major, Molina remembers FIU going all in to offer robust class and practical instruction.

For her practicum, Molina was assigned to a specialized developmental center that served as a last resort for youngsters before institutionalization. There she worked with “severely emotionally disturbed and mentally handicapped students,” recalls Molina, who was hired full-time after graduation. “My first job,” she says with pride.

Along with intensive coursework, FIU’s faculty helped prepare Molina for a life dedicated to education. She recollects how one professor sharpened her analytical skills, asking thought-provoking follow-up questions for every student response she received. “She always taught us to dissect the problem…look at it from different angles,” Molina explains.

Today, Molina’s leadership style incorporates this lesson: “I will never jump to a conclusion. I have to consider different perspectives so that I can make the best decision.”

Likewise, Molina’s practicum mentor inspired and encouraged her when it mattered most. Throughout the semester, her professor conducted formal observations of students and provided pointed feedback. “She validated what I was doing. For a young woman, this was empowering.”

Reflecting on her Panther days when she served as the president of the Future Teachers of America chapter, Molina attests, “I became an educator, but I also became a leader at FIU. And I knew that I was committed to serving kids and empowering students.” Beyond serving as a special ed teacher, Molina went on to hold positions as a public school principal and a district director.

Ready to return to her beloved Lourdes community, Molina hopes to continue cultivating a spirit of acceptance and inclusion. “We all have to find our niche,” she says. “It’s a matter of making sure that all the girls feel valued and that they fit in.”